Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and his officials. On his opening statement, it was as good a performance as we would get on "Yes Minister" any day of the week.

In simple English that people can understand, we have a form of measurement and the performance indicators measure how good the Department is doing. My understanding of the New Zealand standards, and thankfully there are now standards, is that each Department is now measured and we are measured as a Parliament on how we scrutinise Departments as to how they spend their money. I never cease to be amazed by how language is used, and the European Union is probably a past master at this, to describe basic matters such as there is now a system in place to see how well a Department is doing with taxpayers' money or with policies they are trying to drive on behalf of the public. In every Department, but particularly in the technological side of this Department, it is important to state the facts in plain English rather than in the gobbledygook that comes from some Departments. I am aware there is a huge volume of work going on in Departments to produce and achieve policy and performance related initiatives, but they must state simply how well they are doing with public money for the public good. That is what they are about. Is that a simple version of what the Minister spent the past ten minutes saying?